540°

Namco believed Enslaved's quality would "speak for itself"

OXM UK: "How the Journey to the West went wrong."

stonecold34654d ago

over hyping it and decided to go multiplatform then went onto trash talk aboutthe ps3. and heavonly sword was the best game ninja theory made. and ninja therory lost quailty of there games like enslaved no marketing that tryed to claimed enslaved was going to be better than uncharted . and tryed to compared it with uncharted inthe end the enslaved sold bad and didnt sell that well compared to heavonly sword. they should stayed with sony to be honest

Nitrowolf24654d ago (Edited 4654d ago )

Staying with Sony really had nothing to do with it. They were picky and wanted more cash and saw Heavenly sword as a failure. Now they went and created this new game, which wouldn't have been any better if it were exclusive. Next game they are making is DMC Reboot, which isn't sitting to well with the fans.

Heavenly sword was a great game, but i think Ninja Theory just got lucky with it, but had bad timing to launch it.

NukaCola4654d ago

Going multiplat was not the issue. Even if the 360 demographic could be less receptive of this genre than PS3 gamers in general, Ninja Theory whined and cried about heavenly Sword only doing 1.7mil, bashed PS3 to death, treated the game like an Xbox exclusive...so in the end they really burned the candle from both ends. Irony struck when their game sold poorly, even though it was a decent game. Enslaved had a cool story and nice dialog, but the overall presentation was mediocre. Also, when you bash the PS3 like they did and say your game rivals Uncharted, you may turn of a large amount of your target audience...just saying.

pixelsword4654d ago

The game did speak for itself...

...and it said:

I SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCKED!

gamingdroid4654d ago (Edited 4654d ago )

Sorry, but both Heavenly Sword and Enslaved was a bad game for me. I don't particularly like games with slow heavy control mechanics.

To all the people saying, Ninja Theory should stay with Sony... how would it make things any different?

If Heavenly Sword was released these days, exclusive or not, it would have sold poorly as well. The main reason that game sold well was basically timing, nothing else to compete and it looked damn good with excellent production value. As a game it was barely mediocre.

Boody-Bandit4654d ago

It did speak for itself.
It screamed medicority and it delivered just that.

Kurt Russell4653d ago

I enjoyed Enslaved, I thought the voice acting was some of the best around - characters facial animations particularly around the eyes helped to deliver emotion better than most games; it looked nice with varying environments full of colour... I had no real complaints apart from it could have done with being a little longer.

I think people are just a bunch of fickle women nowadays, all have to go to the toilet together and share the same opinions.

Heartnet4653d ago

Yeh there attitude was pathetic lol

However Enslaved was a great game nothi0ng bad about it and it did deserve higher sales than it got

beastgamer4653d ago

really, it was the reason, They complain about how heavenly sword didn't generate them any money and began talking smack about the ps3 which gave them their name.
heavenly sword sold 2 million copies and that is a fail to them, most games don't even sell that much.
All their arguments just came back and bit them in the ass
Most developers that go multiplatform do it to either enlarge their fan base, try something new, but Ninja Theory only have the root of all evil in their eyes

kneon4653d ago

They should have let the game speak for itself rather than that idiot from Ninja Theory who couldn't open his mouth without sticking his foot in it.

But there were too many other good games when this came out so I haven't bothered with it, I planned to buy it once it's in the bargain bin.

BeOneWithTheGun4653d ago

What i dont get was how the hype touted this game as a graphical powehouse and in reality it sucked ass. The graphics we so muddy and the gameplay clunky i sropped playing after a couple hours. Alpha protocol looked better and that game sucks, too!

dredgewalker4653d ago

Enslaved wasn't an awful game but it's something that I didn't enjoy because the combat system was a bit clunky and camera was simply a mess. I can also expect NJ to blame the fans when "The Game Formerly Known as DMC" hits the market and bombs.

bruddahmanmatt4653d ago

Enslaved was doomed from the start. By deciding to go from PS3 only to multiplat you have to at least make an attempt to market your product to the casual 360 only crowd. A lot of folks who never played Heavenly Sword probably had/have no idea who Ninja Theory was/is. By electing to go with only the bare minimum in terms of marketing, Namco pretty much ensured that only the folks who were very familiar with Ninja Theory would be interested in this game at launch. Beyond that the only other way to rack up sales long-term would be via word of mouth had the game turned out to be a smash hit.

Unfortunately, those familiar with Ninja Theory and Heavenly Sword (i.e. the gamers most likely to be interested in purchasing Enslaved) were hit with a series of HUGE turn-offs when Ninja Theory decided to go on their little rant about the PS3 and how Heavenly Sword not selling as well as they had hoped was everyone's fault but their own.

AKS4653d ago

Ninja Theory could really use some better tech people. I think that would really help them express their ideas. I think they have fantastic artists but need work on the technical side that results in the games not running or playing as smoothly as they should.

I actually enjoyed both Heavenly Sword and Enslaved quite a bit.

The Uncharted bit was often taken out of context on this website. If you read their comments in context, you'll see that NT is full of Uncharted and Naughty Dog fanboys. They said they viewed Uncharted games as being the gold standard of the genre and greatly admired Naughty Dog. Look up their full interviews and you'll see this is the case.

"I think Uncharted 2 set the template for what an action-adventure game should be..."

"I think both the studio and I have the highest admiration for those guys [Naughty Dog]. They're the best console developers in the world at the moment."

-Tameem Antoniades

If anything, he's a massive Naughty Dog fanboy.

Leviathan4653d ago (Edited 4653d ago )

A: "And what advice would you give Namco about how to market a game of this calibre?"

Q: Tell Ninja Theory to go make Heavenly Sword 2 and then apologize to all PS3 owners for all those nasty things they said. We didn't want Enslaved. Xbox people didn't want it either. I bought enslaved and honestly, I didn't like it. I wanted Heavenly Sword 2.

ikkokucrisis4653d ago

Ninja Theory need to cut themselves a slice of humble pie.

For all their talk, they're not that good of a dev.

TheDivine4653d ago

Wow you guys are like the borg a figgin hive mind. Is there a meeting where the fanboys get together and decide what games to bash? The casual 360 croud? 360 gamers are as core as ive ever seen and really, it was the ugliest game you guys have seen? Lies lies lies. Enslaved was a beautiful game graphic and art-wise. Might not be your cup of tea but it was a high quality game with the best voice acting ive ever heard. Its personally one of my fav games ever and ive been gaming 20 years. The hate for this game comes from the fact they insulted sony. All the fanboys got butthurt and banded together to hate on the dev and this game.

jack_burt0n4653d ago

@divine

Yeah and whats the problem with that!????????!!!!

If bungie came out and said xbox fans were worthless, and posted articles about it EVERY WEEK you think there would not be a response!?

So basically your saying xbox owners are so stupid they will buy any old crap! You must really think lowly of gamers in general.

Actually ur probably the new dante lmao....

+ Show (13) more repliesLast reply 4653d ago
ChickenOfTheCaveMan4654d ago

I think going multiplatform was a good move, but crying over how bad they thought the sales for Heavenly Sword were was a very stupid move.

kreate4654d ago

they should of just made a heavenly sword 2 instead. and make it longer this time. and than re-evaluate the sales situation.

instead, they making a enslaved 2 =(

Leviathan4653d ago (Edited 4653d ago )

Enslaved 2? They must not own publishing rights to Heavenly Sword,otherwise why would they be so unintelligent? They would rake in in with Heavenly Sword 2...not so much I'm predicting with Enslaved:Again.

edit: Nevermind. My friend says Santa Monica Studios is doing the Heavenly sequel. :) Hope that is true.

KROBOS93939394653d ago

@Leviathan
the SM is doing the sequel thing is just a rumor but i do hope it's true

FAGOL4654d ago

I agree with everything accept the "they should of stayed with Sony" bit. I was going to buy at launch but weeks before release they just bitched about Sony and the PS3. I honestly thought it would have an impact on the quality of the game.

I bought Enslaved recently though for £10. The story hasn't drawn me in and neither has the gameplay. Also the anti-alaising is horrible. Looks like them 'games' that came out on PS3's launch.

SephirothX214654d ago (Edited 4654d ago )

Or maybe they were just being honest about how they felt in regards to the difficulties developing for the PS3. They went multiplatform and made an average game but it could have been worse. Sure they overhyped it but only stupid people believe a company that overhypes THEIR own product and most companies do. Anyway, Heavenly Sword didn't get wonderful reviews and got average scores. They just don't seem to be a great studio full stop.

4654d ago
4654d ago Replies(1)
snipes1014654d ago (Edited 4654d ago )

Well, I loved enslaved. Bought it day one. The setting, characters and story had me hooked till the end. It was the fist post apocalyptic game that wasn't an eye sore (no, I don't think Fallout games look good. They're fun but look drab as hell).

To be honest I think people are just bitter about whatever the developers said about the ps3 and in return bash the game.

Yea yea disagree minus bubbles blah blah blah

Spenok4653d ago

I totally agree with this statement. The game was great. I think it was a stupid move for them to hate on one of the platforms just before relase. But i still bought it day one and loved it.

Im only 1 trophy away on this game. I should really go back and get the platinum. I just thinks its retarded that you have to complete a level for it to accept the orbs you have found ><

Otherwise awesome game.

ghaleon19804653d ago

Minus bubbles? No sir, You get a PLUS bubble!

DeleteThisxx4654d ago

You know, I don't really care that they decided to go multiplat, it's a perfectly logical decision for a company like Ninja Theory. I won't lie, I was excited for this game because it looked fun and it was, I picked it up during a TRU Buy 2 get 1 and I did not regret it at all. However, as I always say when Namco/Ninja Theory comment is: "You had it coming." Seriously, as so many people have stated, they have no one to blame but themselves. The elitist attitude, the PS3 hate, using exclusivity as an excuse to explain poor sales...The list goes on and on.

Instead of whining and crying, Ninja Theory should stick with what works and create and awesome game. It's not like they don't have the potential to do so..Just look at Heavenly Sword. I really don't know if I'd support it day 1 though..Only because of all of the bullshit they spit out. I'm so sick of hearing them cry and put blame on other people/companies instead of themselves.

snipes1014654d ago

A lot of people on here are talking about how great Heavenly Sword was. I have yet to play it but on metacritic and gamerankings the game has a lower average.

I'm not one to judge on review scores too much, but from a numbers standpoint Enslaved comes out on top.

GrandTheftZamboni4654d ago (Edited 4654d ago )

I enjoyed Heavenly Sword and was looking forward to their new game, but because of all the bitching there was no way I'd pay $60. I got Enslaved for $20 and I'm glad I didn't pay more. It's just an okay game. I liked a lot how it looked in 3D though.

dc14653d ago

HS was/is a gem!

The low metacritic scores can be attributed to very early poor PS3 sentiment and the 8-10 hour game play. ..who new that HS was a trail blazer for the 8-10 market! Pick it up, you will not be disappointed.

DaReapa4653d ago

^^This times 10.
HS is among the few games that I can honestly say that Metacritic and the like doesn't give an accurate reflection of score-wise. I'm not into this fanboy nonsense but I do believe the media disdain for the PS3 attributed to the lower scores.

Knushwood Butt4653d ago

At least with Uncharted and Assassin's Creed you have a certain amount of freedom, and can actually make mistakes.

Enslaved: flashing objects to show you where you need to go, and from what I remember, impossible to fall off. Just mind numbing padding.. Then, when you get past that part, some tedious combat where it pretty much whatever you do has the same effect.

I've recently been playing Streets of Rage II, and that has a deeper fighting engine.....

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 4653d ago
Knushwood Butt4653d ago (Edited 4653d ago )

Sorry, but voice acting and script come second to game.

The demo was boring as hell: tedious platforming that required no skill at all along with shallow button mashing combat.

Furthermore, I'm sick of seeing these articles. The game failed for multiple reasons: it is not an overlooked gem.

4653d ago
BigPenguin4653d ago

gapecanpie is failtroll

no disagrees for you.

vickers5004653d ago (Edited 4653d ago )

"The game failed for multiple reasons: it is not an overlooked gem."

Neither is Heavenly Sword. I thought it looked amazing when I saw it and when I played the demo, but I waited on buying it due to the reviews at the time (back then I was a review whore), and man am I glad I waited and only paid 20 bucks for a used copy, because it's one of the most mediocre games I've ever played.

I've yet to play Enslaved, but it looks interesting and I may pick it up at some point.

SephirothX214653d ago

Uncharted's platforming is not challenging either. Either is Assassin's Creed's.

Knushwood Butt4653d ago

At least with Uncharted and Assassin's Creed you have a certain amount of freedom, and can actually make mistakes.

Enslaved: flashing objects to show you where you need to go, and from what I remember, impossible to fall off. Just mind numbing padding.. Then, when you get past that part, some tedious combat where it pretty much whatever you do has the same effect.

I've recently been playing Streets of Rage II, and that has a deeper fighting engine.....

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4653d ago Replies(1)
showtimefolks4653d ago

It was a good experience one thing NT knows how to do is tell a story but combat was weak and so was platforming.

If this game was a system exclusive for either xbox360 or ps3 it would have done much better just because than fans from one side of the system support it like it their own.

NT guys said that HS selling 1.5 million plus on ps3 when it launched was not good for them considering the fact that at the time ps3's install base was nothing compare to what it is today.

so they jumped thinking the grass will be greener on the other side. Sony offered them to do sequel for HS and they rejected

the way i look at it is DMC is their last try if they mess that up no way will they get another big game.

I like NT but i feel like what they said about HS's sale was like putting your own foot in your mouth

kreate4653d ago

how come ninja theory isnt complaining about bamco and enlsaved?

like how they treated ps3/sony with heavenly sword?

when heavenly sword outsold enslaved by a large margin?

on top of that, they are making a enslaved sequel and not a heavenly sword sequel?

whats up with that?

Bull5hifT4653d ago

I Really enjoyed Enslaved Main problem for me was upgrading everything and passing it , i wanted to start a new game with all my upgrades and max them out, but it was fun

OhMyGandhi4653d ago (Edited 4653d ago )

the game is old school in terms of how it plays out.
it's a perfectly fun, and unique single player adventure.

it's unfortunate that the "unique single player adventure" has a oddly small appeal to the gamers as a whole.

I bought the game, and am happy to support said ideas.

I can live with a purchase of a game that -doesn't- have a multiplayer feature.

It's amazing just bratty we are as gamers, demanding bigger better games with long run times, multiple endings, locations that branch 3 universes with an entire forest worth of dialogue trees to communicate with , revolutionary graphics utilizing state of the art facial expression technology, motion captured animations, Hans Zimmer quality soundtrack that contains more brass than a police station, photo realistic water physics that illicit bubbles when you fart in it, and wets the pant legs of the protagonist as he wades through it, characters that are real in their emotion, but not too melodramatic, trees that look real and not Mario 64 scissor cuts, light that plays off the pen in the pocket of a doctors jacket, and the wrinkle of the doctors brow as he ages throughout the game to warrant a true sense of urgency from player as the game is not about winning or losing, but about morality in it's most sincere form.

All these things we feel we need to justify a 60 dollar purchase.

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Drekken4654d ago

If they wanted it to speak for itself, they should have STFU. They made HS and it was great... I would have bought or at least played Enslaved if it wasn't for their constant trash talking.

himdeel4654d ago

+bubbles Drekken and there it is. They didn't STFU and trashed talked a system and the ONLY good game they've produced and it was a new IP.

ChickenOfTheCaveMan4653d ago

I totally agree, but you're missing out on a great game. I bought it a few months ago for 20$, best 20$ game I bought after Dead Space.

Christopher4654d ago

I think it did speak for itself. It didn't do anything great and was an okay game.

- Platforming was pretty much a no-fail situation unless you were playing with one hand and two legs tied behind your back.

- Combat was pretty much doing the same thing over and over without much growth in strategies.

- Storyline just wasn't all that great, especially the ending.

- Characters, other than Pigsy, weren't all that interesting and didn't have emotion that one could relate to. Hell, Monkey sure did get over being some whiney girl's slave extremely fast without much room for growing attached to her.

The one thing the game had going for it was the graphics, which were vibrant and well done, but not anything we haven't seen in other games so far.

SageHonor4654d ago

EXACTLY, Enslaved is okay... I think people exaggerate how underrated it actually was.. Heavenly Sword was better

P.S. You forgot the screen tearing..

GSpartan7774654d ago (Edited 4654d ago )

WOW I'm shocked that I'm not the only person that sees Enslaved for the okay (slightly above mediocre) game that it was. I completely agree with you. The game was nothing special and was certainly over hyped.

nnotdead4653d ago

i agree with your points on platforming and combat being mediocre to bad, but i do disagree with your thoughts on the story and characters.

BeOneWithTheGun4653d ago

I respectfuly ask you how u thought the graphics were good? They looked like demons souls with color. At least demons souls had great art design and inspiring combat with innovative mp. I bought enslaved and alpha protocol for 10 bucks each and both failed to hold my attention. I just dont see what people like about this game.

Peaceful_Jelly4653d ago (Edited 4653d ago )

I only played the PS3 version of Enslaved and that game had more screen tears than a tech demo. Heavenly Sword was the same and and now I fear for DMC.

Christopher4652d ago

I didn't look at it solely from a "high texture resolution and no screen tearing" but from the overall technical and art direction. It was a vivid world, it was on par with most games, and it used a good color palate in an effective and visually inspiring manner.

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Venoxn4g4654d ago

actually I would liked this game more if not that lame jumping (can't fall, or allmost can't fall) and a little monotonous at times.. but overall I would like a improved sequel

badz1494654d ago

I think the sale numbers killed the possibility already!

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120°

15 PS3 Games That Would Absolutely Shine as PS5 Remakes

GB: "With this feature, we talk about 15 games on the PS3 that should be remade for the PlayStation 5."

Read Full Story >>
gamingbolt.com
kenpachi18d ago

You left out The Darkness games bring those back

fan_of_gaming17d ago

The head of Nightdive Studios has posted that The Darkness is on their list of games they want to do, so hopefully something comes from that

Yi-Long17d ago

Little Big Planet 1 and 2 deserve a mention, IMO.

Good call on Motorstorm, a game released 2 gens ago but still looks and feels so good. Motorstorm 2 and Motorstorm RC were gems as well. They followed up the Motorstorm games with the brilliant Driveclub, which still manages to put modern racing games to shame. Imagine closing down a studio as talented as that ... (!) Incredible.

A little 'arcade-gem' back then was The Last Guy, a top down 'follow the leader' snake-like game where you had to find and lead survivors to safety during an alien invasion, on terrible looking 'Google-earth' maps. Graphics were poor, even back then, but would love that same gameplay with modern maps and graphics.

Street Fighter 4, once it finally had a full roster, was quite good, but it was always an ugly game, sadly. Imagine bringing that back while using the current SF6 engine.

fan_of_gaming17d ago

Good suggestions, I'd be in for
LittleBigPlanet
LittleBigPlanet 2
Motorstorm: Pacific Rift
Motorstorm: RC

purple10117d ago

God damn I love motorstorm so much

At the time I had a low-mid range sony 40” tv, The latency to the controller was waaaay too high, would to play a modern version

In saying that later I got a 3d lg tv and playing the 3d motorstorm in my bedroom with the environment crumbling around the track, was something special, specially compared to what others were playing at the time, will always remember that

Skuletor17d ago

Some good choices here and Resistance: Fall of Man is my most wanted PS3 remaster/remake. Not sure about their claim it was Sony's answer to Gears of War though.

CrimsonWing6917d ago

I’d rather have sequels than remakes. Look at Dead Space 1 Remake. Would’ve been cooler if we got a new entry and it failed with sales sealing the fate of a sequel rather than just replay the same game and it fail in sales and we never get a new entry.

Remakes are great for things like PS2 and earlier games to really get a crazy new graphical coat, but I think we should ease up on all these remakes and actually do sequels.

fan_of_gaming17d ago

Yeah for sure, sequels would be ideal. But in the current market environment where many big publishers are risk-averse, I'd rather get a remaster or remake that a developer can do on a budget that will be approved, rather than nothing for an IP.

Inverno17d ago

I rather they remaster and port over to PC and current gen all the games permanently stuck on PS360. Those games don't need remakes, they need to be given a chance to live again outside of their confined consoles and then give a few proper sequels. Like Sleeping Dogs, Motor Storm, LA Noir, should get another entry.

fan_of_gaming17d ago

Yeah I'd be fine with remasters of PS3 games too, they don't have to be remakes.

Show all comments (17)
60°

The 10 worst PC ports that ruined otherwise great video games

From Xfire: "It's not unusual to see the occasional bad PC port, but these ones make the bad PC ports look great in comparison."

Kados1023d ago

To be fair with GTAIV, it was a very CPU bound game, released at a time when the vast majority of PC gamers still believed that the CPU was nearly irrelevant, and that you only needed a good GPU. 95% of "gaming" builds back then were using turds for CPUs.

Giblet_Head1023d ago (Edited 1023d ago )

Ya, 2005-2010 was an interesting period. Entry/mid level CPUs have come a long way since then.

RonsonPL1023d ago (Edited 1023d ago )

The "majority" is still just as dumb as before.The game was simply f...d.
It had micro-stutters and never ever ran properly. People who say otherwise simply couldn't see the microstutter because of their LCD display's blurry motion. It should fly in 85fps or 100fps on fastest CPU back then, but it didn't. It was a buggy, awful port. I had a CPU over twice as fast as what x360 had. A GPU 5x as fast. And I couldn't do anything to make it run perfectly.
I don't know who's fault was this. Maybe it was not the developers alone. Maybe it was because of the drivers and the fact nobody gave a flying f..k about stable, high framerate on a PC game. We've had two different OSes then, and as I pointed out, microstutters were not that obvious on an LCD. There was no Digital Foundry to point such problems out and not many people still played on CRT monitors to be able to notice the problem (in like 2 seconds of playing, seriously, you don't need any tools. It just hits your eyes like a speeding truck)

GTA V continued the tradition. It manages the CPU resources so badly, it basically cannot run at locked 144fps till this day, or even 60fps in stereoscopic 3D mode (so 2x 60fps per second) because it's so dependant on single core performance and because it's so messed up by either port devs or Nvidia (who said they will fix it, then 3 years of promises led to shutting the forums down, which solved the problem in their eyes - no one complains anymore ;)

GTA III port was never optimized for even 60fps, not to mention 100 or 120.
The port of GTA V was hidden in their cabinet for almost 3 years, during which PC gamers were bein lied to about it.

See the pattern yet?
Yeah. They don't give a shit about PC gaming or assume a buggy, stuttery mess is good enough, as long as people keep buying the games.

Actually... to think of it. They didn't make a proper Lemmings game for PC either. There was Amiga version and that's it. Only later on they mercifully released Lemmings: Tribes sequel. Until then PC gamers could only dream about digitized (real recorded audio) sounds and music. So this tradition of shitting onto PC gamers is now 30 years old ;)

100°

Active Quest Episode 117: Star Wars: KOTOR Is Likely Returning, Atelier Firis DX Is Addictive

Joseph, Josh, and Chris go over a striking Sony decision, a Star Wars: Knights of the Republic remake seems to be happening, and local JRPG lover Chris talks about Atelier Firis DX.

Read Full Story >>
activequestpodcast.com
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